Along with Edge of Tomorrow, Sicario contributed to Emily Blunt’s edgier action hero reinvention, which is why fans were surprised to learn she wouldn’t be returning for the sequel, Soldado. Now, whether we like it or not, we have a reason straight from screenwriter Taylor Sheridan.

“That was my decision, and at some point I’m going to have to talk to her about it,” he told The Wrap during an interview for the magazine. “Her arc was complete…I couldn’t figure out a way to write a character that would do her talent justice.”

Blunt played FBI Agent Kate Macer in Sicario, in which she joins a government task force in bringing down a Mexican drug cartel. Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin also starred, and both will be returning for the sequel.

“Look what she went through,” Sheridan continued. “It was a difficult role. Here I write this lead character and then I use her as a surrogate for the audience. I make her completely passive against her own will so the audience feels the same impotence that a lot of law enforcement officers feel, I drag her through hell, and betray her in the end. It was an arduous journey for the character, and for Emily. That character had arc.”

He added, “What do you do next? She moves to some little town and becomes a sheriff and then gets kidnapped and then we have Taken? I had to tell the story that was true to this role, and I didn’t feel like I could create something with that character that would further that world that would do Emily’s character justice. That said, there could be room for Kate somewhere else down the road.”